John Smith died thirty years ago. The Labour Party’s history is full of people called the best prime minister we never had. I certainly feel that about John Smith. It felt like the earth had stopped turning when I heard the news of his death. Walworth, where I live, was home for around twenty years to the Labour Party HQ. When Smith died the building was named John Smith House, and a silver rose decorated the facade. Now it’s a hostel for students visiting London.
The local election results saw the Tories suffer a trouncing, not that they are interpreting it like that. You would almost think it was a huge success from the interviews given afterwards. We almost won, was the comment I liked best. I don’t mind if they almost win when the general election is held. I just want them to lose. Fourteen years of their ideology led incompetence has brought this country to a state I could never have imagined growing up. Then Keir Starmer did an extraordinary thing, he welcomed a right wing Tory, a former member of the ERG for goodness sake, a Brexiteer, into the Labour party. She crossed the floor last Wednesday. what to make of that I do not know.
Fortunately the weather has been kind all week which always makes things seem more positive. I’ve been busy with work and also cultural (!) pursuits. Two trips to the theatre. On Friday night I was at the Purcell Room on the Southbank to watch Masterclass. Mesmerising and jaw dropping to learn in the post show talk that the outrageous things the person playing the acclaimed director was saying were taken from actual masterclass talks. Misogyny, control, privilege and patriarchy are all alive and well. The company is Brokentalkers, based in Dublin. They said they would be touring this play throughout Ireland. Oh good, I thought, I shall recommend it to my pals in Belfast. Unfortunately throughout Ireland appears to exclude the north. Hey ho.
Yesterday afternoon Octavia and I went to see Player Kings starring Ian McKellen. My ticket was her extremely generous birthday gift to me. I’m still thinking about it. McKellen was terrific. I saw Anthony Sher play Falstaff a few years ago. He was terrific too. I still find it hard how Hal abandons Falstaff when he becomes king. Yes Falstaff is a rogue, but it seems cruel. We left the theatre in daylight and walked down to Whitehall. I wanted to show Octavia the foyer of Great Scotland Yard Hotel, formerly the HQ of the Met. There’s a fair amount of police memorabilia there, and a whisky room behind a panel. We asked a member of staff about it and he took us inside, and told us there are jazz nights there on Thursdays and Fridays. It felt as though we had stepped into an exclusive club. We decided to stay for a drink. I love hotels where the staff are proud of where they work, and this is definitely in that bracket. There is no way I could afford to stay there, just as there’s no way I could stay at the Rosewood, but the enthusiasm of the staff is catching.
Afterwards we popped into Raffles which is in the Old War Office and which has been open less than a year. It is conveniently located by our bus stop. Another lovely member of staff, brimming with enthusiasm and pride, showed us around. It is stunning. With the Admiralty also currently being converted into a hotel, and County Hall home to at least two hotels, I’m wondering how many more of our publicly owned buildings will go this way. Buck House perhaps.
Between writing notes, typing them up, catching up on Series 2 of Blue Lights, going to the theatre, I’ve been reading Foxash, a novel I picked up in the library. It’s by Kate Worsley of whom I had not heard, but it seems she has written two novels. I’m on page 282 of 349. Tension is building. It feels as though there is going to be something which makes me hold the book half closed when I read it because it’s going to be too shocking. The social history got me gripped straight away. On the first page there are references to the Association and Special Areas. It sounds a bit 1984, but fortunately there’s an explanation at the back. Apart from the much more pleasant feeling of holding a book rather than an ebook, being able to flip backwards and forwards with ease is a great advantage. I learned that in 1934 the Association was the Land Settlement Association, and the Special Areas were those were chronic unemployment was particularly high. Miners, shipbuilders and labourers were given the opportunity to train in horticulture and animal husbandry, and then settled in cooperative settlements across the country. Foxash in Essex was one of those settlements, and the novel is set there. Fascinating.
Supper with Octavia tonight as we are both in London. It’s my turn to supply the meal. I decided on salads. So earlier I made hummus, prepped carrots to have with vinaigrette, roasted peppers. Now it’s time to cook the falafels, put a green salad together, and get it all ready to take round to her house.
Enjoy your evening.
Isobel (and Cat)'s Blog 
I went to see Player Kings with a friend the night I came back from Germany, 15 days ago. It was absolutely extraordinary. I don’t know at what point I stopped being aware that I was watching a play, but it has to have been fairly shortly after the beginning, and I simply felt that this was indeed Falstaff himself on the stage.
I also absolutely loved the East Enders vibe with Mistress Quickly and Doll Tearsheet – I’d never picked up on it before.
They made a lot of that in the RSC production at the Barbican a few years ago too. If you visit Eastcheap, yo’ll find a v over the top Victorian building on the site of the Boar’s Head. Look closely and you’ll find the boar depicted.